Veteran Wildcats Guard Eyeing Growth in Senior Season
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Arizona is inching closer and closer to the season-opener against the defending champion Florida Gators. The game will take place in Las Vegas as part of the Hall of Fame Series.
The Wildcats are getting their first looks at opponents this week, having faced Saint Mary's in exhibition play, and will next face Embry-Riddle on Monday before the regular season begins.
Tommy Lloyd is doing things differently this season, depending on the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports, to lead the way this season, surrounded by a few returners. Koa Peat and Brayden Burries highlight the freshman class and are expected to step into the starting rotation right away.
Having such a young team means the few who have experience in Tucson will be even more critical than before. In the back court, that's Jaden Bradley running the point, and another senior guard looking to expand his game on offense.
Anthony Dell'Orso In Line For Expanded Role in 2025
Anthony Dell'Orso is set for his second season as a Wildcat. In just over 18 minutes per game in 2024, he averaged 7.2 points per game and shot 41.3% from range as one of the team's three-point specialists.
This season, Dell'Orso is hoping to be a more well-rounded scorer to support the developing young stars.
DELLY DUNKS IT!! Cats lead 22-18 with 6 minutes left in the first half. pic.twitter.com/yEIMn9z8th
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) October 18, 2025
Arizona's first exhibition game against Saint Mary's showed some growth both offensively and defensively that should make Wildcats fans optimistic about its veteran leadership.
Oddly enough, Dell'Orso didn't shoot well from three against the Gaels. He went just 1-for-7 from range, but still shot 6-for-12 from the field with 13 points. He was more consistent scoring on cuts to the basket than he was last season, despite having three turnovers.
Lloyd is leaning on his senior guards, and was happy to see Dell'Orso be so efficient from inside the arc.
"I don’t know how often he’s going to go 1-for-7 from three," Lloyd said following the exhibition game. "It’s just that fine line of being aggressive, but maybe not putting yourself in difficult situations and just kind of having an understanding of what that is. That’s not easy to coach and that’s not easy to play, so we’ve got to kind of help him with some of the gray areas."
While the long-range shooting wasn't there against the Gaels, that can be something that grows over the season. Dell'Orso is a reliable shooter, and he will continue to get looks from three, but don't be surprised to see him get inside this season.
"Putting the reps in, getting shots up, getting different reads up, that’s always gonna be part of the game," Dell'Orso said after the game. "It’s a huge part of my game, (Bradley's) game, especially as a guard, you have to be able to be sound on the perimeter. So we need to get better at that, and we’ll work on it in practice and stuff like that.”
Dell'Orso also had four steals, a part of his game that he really wants to become more of a threat in. His hands were active, stopping the Gaels at the top of the key and making them pivot. To be a more well-rounded player and not just a scorer, being active and tough to move on the opposite end is just as vital.
With a little side step, Anthony Dell'Orso puts up two! #gocats pic.twitter.com/Nm3GEHlzeR
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) October 18, 2025
Many teams last season tried to get Dell'Orso in isolated looks to drive on him. He's add strength and become a better defender, but it is still a work in progress.
"His physicality has allowed him to maybe try to be a little bit more effective on the ball," Lloyd said. "With that being said, I think teams are gonna maybe be aggressive trying to drive him a little bit. So he’s got to answer that bell a little bit. I think he got driven on two times in the first half. I think he gave up kind of a hustle offensive rebound.
"Those are areas he can grow and those are plays he’s expected to make."
Peat and Burries both started the game alongside Dell'Orso and made an immediate impact. Both freshmen scored 10 points, while Peat smacked two blocks and Burries got off to a quick start finding lanes to the rim. The veteran was amped about his new running mates in Tucson.
"Getting up and down, it’s always hard the first time and I think they played well," Dell'Orso said. "Brayden came out hot early. Koa got his legs under him as the game went on. I think it’s just a matter of time to get that feeling, the nerves out of the way, like I said, but they were great. They contributed not just points, but a lot of things that people don’t necessarily look at."
Scrimmages and exhibitions games can only show so much, but, while he wasn't perfect, Dell'Orso looked like a much more engaged player than a year ago.
Florida will provide an immediate challenge to Dell'Orso from a defensive standpoint, forcing him to play hands-on from the wing. Still, the Wildcats have to be happy with the progression he's shown, and how he will continue to develop over the course of the season.
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Logan Brown is an alumnus of the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He currently works as a General College Sports Reporter On SI. Logan has an extensive background in writing and has contributed to Cronkite Sports, PHNX Sports, and Motion Graphics.
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